


20 Questions Quarantine (ER)

by not_your_usual_damsel_in_distress



Category: ER (TV 1994)
Genre: F/M, Original Female Character - Freeform, Other ER Characters Mentioned, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Sexual Abuse, mostly canon-compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26535697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_your_usual_damsel_in_distress/pseuds/not_your_usual_damsel_in_distress
Summary: The ER gang is quarantined to the ER after a SmallPox exposure. Everyone is moody and bored, so they all take turns playing 20 questions to get to know each other better. (: One chapter for each character's 20 Questions!
Relationships: Carol Hathaway/Doug Ross, John Carter/Leah Woods, Luka Kovač/Abby Lockhart, Mark Greene/Susan Lewis, Peter Benton/Elizabeth Corday
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Mark Greene's 20 Questions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've literally never written anything like this, let alone posted it somewhere so please be nice haha. I tried to explore some relationships that I'd like to see more of on ER and to just see the gang have some fun/get to know each other. This isn't exactly canon-compliant, because I don't think some of these characters were on the show at the same time, but I picked out my favorite characters. (Also John Carter is my fave and I felt like he never got the love he deserved so I made up a side character to give him some love, but I tried to make her blend in with the others and seem natural)
> 
> P.S. I marked the trigger alerts just because it does talk about the past abuse and whatnot of some of the characters, if that makes you uncomfortable then by all means please don't read! It's not too graphic I just wanted to make sure everyone knew what they were getting into. (:

“Carter I swear to God if you tap that pencil one more time I’m going to shove it down your throat.” Peter snaps from across the room. Carter is sitting on the couch, tapping the pencil on the arm of the couch in boredom. Peter is in the chair across the couch, glaring at him. Carter looks up, surprised, and then is immediately annoyed. He and the nine others that they are quarantined with share equal looks of frustration and annoyance. They’ve all been sharing the same few rooms of the ER for the past week, and they still have two more weeks to go of quarantine before they are cleared of SmallPox that they were exposed to. Even though they’re all friends, tensions have started, frustrated and sexual, building daily. The ten of them are currently all in the break room because it’s the most comfortable to hang out in. They’ve made trauma one their collective bedroom with all their cots and beds, so the break room has become their living room.  
“Sorry,” Carter mumbles, sarcastically.  
“Who wants to play twenty questions?” Doug pipes up, currently tossing a tennis ball against the wall.  
“Only if you stop doing that,” Susan replies, sending an annoyed look his way. He sticks his tongue out at her and tosses the ball at her where she’s sitting on the ground.  
Mark’s hand darts out and snatches it before it gets to her, as he’s sitting next to her. “I’m in.” He says, still amiable and pleasant as always.  
“I think that means you have to go first,” Luka says, smiling a little as he glances down at where Abby has fallen asleep, slumped against his shoulder as they’re leaning against the wall by Peter’s chair.  
“Alright, twenty questions total, no more, no less. Hit me.” Mark says, bouncing the ball to Leah.  
She smiles easily and catches the ball, sitting next to Carter on the couch, their shoulders bumping occasionally. “Alright, I’ll ask first then. Do you want any more kids?” She asks, tossing the ball between her hands.  
Mark feels Susan’s eyes on him, and he has to fight to not glance at her. “I don’t know. Maybe if I get married again.”  
“Do you think you’ll get married again?” Carol asks next from where she’s sitting in front of the coffee table, her back to Doug.  
“To the right woman maybe,” Mark answers vaguely, glancing at Susan this time. She looks away quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear.  
“When was the last time you had sex?” Doug asks with a huge smirk on his face. Carol turns around to slap his leg, rolling her eyes. He laughs and sits down next to her. Carter, Peter, and Luka all roll their eyes but glance at Mark for his answer nonetheless.  
Mark clears his throat and they all notice the heat rushing to his cheeks. “I don’t know, Doug. Probably not since the divorce has been final.” He answers honestly, shooting him an irritated look.  
“Do you have any plans to date again?” Corday asks, sounding uninterested in his answer though, picking at her nails from where she’s sitting on the ground in front of the couch.  
“I’d like to, I guess,” Mark replies, feeling Susan glance at him again.  
“What do you really think of Kerry Weaver?” Luka jumps in, a smirk on his face. Mark laughs, grateful for the different pace of questions.  
“I think she’s a pain in my ass, but a damn good doctor,” Mark replies.  
“What do you really think about Peter?” Carter asks, sending a furtive glance towards Peter, basically a child poking his already pissed off older brother.  
“Man, shut up, Carter,” Peter replies with an annoyed look on his face.  
Mark suppresses his smile. “I also think Peter is a pain in my ass, but also a damn good doctor.” Peter sneers at Carter, who just laughs in response.  
“How long have you and Doug known each other?” Corday asks, looking between the two of them.  
“Before med school. I haven’t been able to shake the dumbass for years.” Mark chuckles glancing over at Doug, who is flipping him off.  
“Yeah, and who’s your best friend?” Doug asks.  
“Probably Carol.” He answers immediately, and everyone snickers at Doug’s attempt at staying annoyed.  
“What was your least favorite rotation in med school?” Leah asks, her elbow bumping into Carter’s. They each shift away, exchanging awkward smiles and murmuring a quiet apology.  
“Dermatology. So boring.” Mark answers. “Definitely not for me.”  
“What was your first impression of Carter?” Benton asks, still glaring at Carter. Everyone chuckles lightly.  
“I thought he was a little in over his head,” Mark admits. Carter’s jaw drops in mock offense, but Mark holds up his hands and continues. “I thought you were young and naive, but you’re doing excellent Carter, you’re a great doctor.” He amends. Leah giggles and nudges Carter gently in the ribs. This time when her elbow rests gently against his knee, neither of them move. Heat rushes to Carter’s face, and not just from Mark’s compliment.  
“Thank you, I think?” Carter laughs, keenly aware of the pretty nurse leaning ever so slightly against him.  
“Did you know that Jen was cheating on you?” Susan asks, bringing the mood to a much more serious note.  
Mark sighs and pushes his glasses up on his nose as he considers his answer. “I think I saw the signs, but I ignored them for as long as possible because I didn’t want to admit it.”  
“Do you still love her?” Corday asks, her face surprisingly vulnerable in her compassion for him and his situation.  
“I don’t think I have for a long time,” Mark answers honestly.  
“Okay, that’s twelve questions,” Carol speaks up, counting on her fingers. “Who’s your least favorite surgeon to work with?” She asks.  
“Romano,” Mark answers immediately, making everyone laugh. “He’s like this annoying little firecracker that goes off all the time, except all I can see is his big, bald head.” Everyone laughs again, waking Abby up.  
“What are we doing?” Abby murmurs to Luka, her breath warm against his cheek as she straightens and pushes herself away from him. Her face is flushed from sleep and embarrassment at having fallen asleep against him.  
“Playing twenty questions with Mark. We just hit thirteen questions.” Luka fills her in, tipping his head down towards hers, wishing she wouldn’t have moved away.  
“Good morning sleepy head.” Susan chuckles at Abby rubbing her eyes.  
“Right,” Abby laughs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “So, Mark, has anyone asked you if you’ve ever kissed a man?” She asks, getting right to the juicy stuff.  
“Damn, Abby’s not messing around.” Doug laughs.  
“I gotta make up for lost time,” Abby shrugs with a playful grin.  
Mark rolls his eyes, his face flushing a light pink. “No, of course not!” He replies, looking repulsed.  
“Why are you blushing so much?” Luka asks, making them all erupt in more laughter.  
“Because the thought is incredulous! Now come on, next question please.” Mark replies.  
“When did you lose your virginity?” Peter asks, finally getting into it. Everyone laughs, surprised that that question would come from Peter. Corday looks up at Peter and she wiggles her eyebrows at him, making him clear his throat and look away.  
“Does everything have to be sexual?” Mark complains. “Fine, I was sixteen, and she had been my girlfriend for like, seven months before that. It was in my backyard.”  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Luka asks, noticing Abby’s knee bumping into his.  
Mark considers this. “Probably just, getting murdered in our parking garage.” He jokes, because their parking garage has needed to be updated for years now with security cameras or lights at the very least. “Or I guess something happening to Rachel.” He answers more seriously in reference to his daughter.  
“Was Rachel planned or was she a surprise?” Carter asks.  
“A surprise. We were not ready in the least. I was just finishing with med school and Jen had just decided that she wanted to be a lawyer.” Mark chuckles fondly at the memory of the panic and euphoria of finding out they were pregnant.  
“If Jen hadn’t of cheated, do you think you two would still be together?” Leah asks, prodding gently as she rolls the tennis ball between her hands.  
Mark shakes his head somberly after thinking for a moment. “I don’t think so.”  
“Okay, two more questions people!” Carol announces. “Who’s your favorite nurse to work with?” She asks, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.  
Everyone howls with laughter because there is no safe answer. Leah, Carol, and Abby all lean forward, intrigued to hear his answer. Mark groans. “This is a trap!”  
“I would never pressure you into making this kind of decision,” Leah nods, struggling to suppress her own smile.  
“Yeah Mark, just answer honestly.” Abby teases. "I'll respect your answer no matter what."  
“I’ve worked with Carol the longest so. . .” Mark reluctantly answers. Leah and Abby boo him while Carol laughs victoriously.  
“And who’s your favorite doctor to work with?” Carter asks.  
“I guess Doug,” Mark sighs, resigned, making them all chuckle.  
“Alright alright, someone else. That’s twenty questions.” Mark says, raising his hands in the air as if to lift off this burden.  
“I think it should be Carter, he asked the last question.” Susan answers.  
Carter looks surprised and everyone turns to look at him for the next round of interrogation.


	2. John Carter's 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that goes a little into Carter's past sexual abuse and trauma, so if that makes you uncomfortable at all, please don't read, or skip this chapter! Also for any of you who are familiar with Carter's storyline, I decided not to go with the drug-abuse storyline with him. I decided he had been through enough and I'd like to think in my version everyone is more loving and supporting and he recovers better in a mentally good spot. (:

“Ooh, okay,” Doug rubs his hands together. “Carter, when was the last time you had sex?” He begins the questioning.  
Carol swats his arm. “Is that all you think about?” She chastises him. He shrugs, that smirk on his face becoming bigger.  
Carter’s face turns bright pink. "I don't know, I guess a long time ago.” He answers, clearing his throat. He glances towards Leah momentarily.  
“Going through a rough patch, man?” Peter teases. All the men snicker and the women roll their eyes.  
“Is your family really rich?” Abby asks.  
Carter’s red face gets redder. “Yes.” Is his tight-lipped answer.  
“Like, how rich?” Abby insists.  
“Like, embarrassingly rich,” Carter replies, embarrassed as he clears his throat. “But don’t worry, I’ve been cut off, so none of it is mine.”  
“What made you get cut off?” Susan asks.  
“I became a doctor instead of a lawyer,” Carter says.  
Leah feigns shock. “How dare you,” She teases to ease the tension, her elbow nudging his ribs again. He smiles at her, relaxing a little more.  
“Have you ever been in love?” Luka asks, picking at his nails absentmindedly.  
“Yes,” Carter answers, not offering any other details.  
“When did you lose your virginity?” Doug asks, making everyone roll their eyes. Carter knew this question would come, yet he still isn’t prepared.  
“I uh, I don’t really want to answer that question,” Carter mumbles, running a hand through his hair and looking anywhere but at anyone.  
“Why not? You’re not still a virgin, are you?” Mark asks, unable to hide the shock from his voice.  
“No, I’m not,” Carter answers, chewing his lower lip.  
“Come on, I answered the question!” Mark insists.  
“I was eleven.” The words slip out before Carter can prepare for the aftermath of his colleagues and friends.  
The room falls silent. “John,” Leah whispers, tentatively reaching out and placing her hand on his knee.  
“I know.” Carter clears his throat. “Anyway, can someone ask a different question please?”  
“Carter man, that’s not okay,” Peter speaks up, his voice surprisingly gentle.  
“Look, that’s why I didn’t really want to answer the questions, okay?” Carter replies, not looking up.  
“What happened, Carter?” Carol prods gently. “I mean if you want to talk about it.”  
“It was shortly after Bobby died." He says, talking about his older brother that died of cancer when he was just a kid. "One of the maids came into my room and um. . .” Carter clears his throat. “She said it was perfectly normal and she touched me and then. . .anyway, I knew it was wrong but I didn’t know how to stop her.”  
“Carter, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Doug starts to apologize.  
“It’s fine, it’s okay.” Carter interrupts him, too embarrassed to hear anymore.  
“Except it’s not okay,” Carol says. “Have you told anyone else about this?” She asks.  
“I saw a therapist once for a little while, a couple of years back. My parents don’t know though. They were hardly around anyway, especially after Bobby died.” Carter answers. Leah’s hand stays on his knee, and Carter slowly moves his hand to cover hers. “I’m sorry, John. We had no idea.” She says softly.  
“It’s okay, I mean, it was a while ago, y’know? Anyway. Someone ask another question.” Carter says nervously.  
“Did it happen more than once?” Peter asks.  
Carter sighs. “I meant about something else.” He says. Benton doesn’t look away though, and Carter clears his throat. “I mean, yeah, it happened until she was fired a year later. She was fired for stealing from my parents.”  
“Carter-”  
“Please, can we drop it?” Carter asks, interrupting Peter. His hands are trembling very slightly. Leah wraps her fingers around his hand and squeezes gently.  
“When did you decide to be a doctor instead of a lawyer?” Abby asks, changing the subject.  
“I never wanted to be a lawyer,” Carter says, breathing a sigh of relief. “I didn’t have a great relationship with my father and he was a lawyer, and so was my grandfather. And I think once Bobby got sick I was fascinated by medicine. I wanted to help people, even though they couldn’t help Bobby in the end.”  
“Okay, we’re at seven questions.” Elizabeth pipes up, turning to look over at Carter. “What made you decide you didn’t want to do surgery?”  
“Yeah I uh, I don’t know. I think I liked surgery and I was decent at it, but I liked the adrenaline rush of emergency medicine and I liked the patient care and I,” He shrugs. “I don’t know, I just don’t think surgery was the right fit.”  
“You would have made a damn good surgeon, Carter.” Peter says, his voice low and sincere. Carter looks up, pleasantly surprised.  
“Ooh, what was your first impression of Peter?” Susan asks, leaning forward with a playful grin on her face. Everyone laughs and Carter turns pink.  
“I thought. . .” Carter hesitates, glancing over at Peter and laughing nervously. “I thought he was an asshole who was on a serious power trip.”  
Everyone laughs and Peter tries to look pissed off, but he can’t help but crack half a smile after a moment. “Come on, Peter, you know it’s true.” Doug laughs.  
“I don’t think that anymore,” Carter reassures Peter.  
“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Luka asks, looking over at Carter.  
Carter smiles warmly, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I’d like to, yes.”  
“Do you want kids one day?” Leah asks.  
“Oh, absolutely. I’d love to one day.” Carter answers, glancing over at her and blushing again.  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Mark asks, raising his head to look over at Carter.  
Carter hesitates. “I don’t know. . .I mean, a lot of my biggest fears have already happened to me. You know, like uh, being stabbed and losing a friend like that.” he laughs humorlessly, shaking his head. Everyone grimaces or looks sadly at each other. “I don’t know. I guess dying a horrible death.”  
“What counts as a horrible death?” Luka asks.  
“Oh you know, like drowning, or burning to death. Or falling from a really high place. Something long and painful, you know?” Carter shudders to even think about it. "Or I suppose being stabbed again, but dying this time." They all nod awkwardly, kind of feeling bad for the way his questions have gone for this game that was supposed to be a light-hearted get-to-know-you kind of game.  
“Okay okay we’re at thirteen questions. Who’s your favorite nurse to work with?” Carol asks, a knowing grin on her face. Almost everyone can see about his obvious crush on Leah.  
Sure enough, Carter turns pink and looks fleetingly at Leah. “I uh, well, I guess Leah. I seem to work with you the most often.” He answers, looking over at her. Leah beams in response as everyone else chuckles, her face flushing pink as well as she tucks her curly hair behind her ears. She keeps that smile on her face as she pushes her glasses up, staring at her hands in her lap.  
“Do you have any other siblings?” Susan asks.  
“I have an older sister, but I haven’t talked to or seen her in years. I think she’s living somewhere over in Europe.” Carter replies, clearing his throat to recover from the last question.  
“What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you?” Doug asks.  
“Playing this game,” Carter replies, making everyone laugh.  
“What’s a song that will make you nostalgic every time?” Leah asks, shifting on the couch so she’s facing him, her knees tucked up under her chin.  
“With or Without You,” Carter answers immediately. “I love that song.”  
“That’s a really good one,” Leah agrees with a grin.  
“When was the last time you were in a serious relationship?” Elizabeth asks, playing with a strand of her curly, red hair. It springs off of her finger.  
“Probably a couple years, I think.” Carter replies.  
“What happened to make you guys break up in your last relationship?” Susan asks.  
“Let’s see,” Carter says in thought. “I think it was when I was about halfway through med school, and my parents and grandparents officially cut me off from everything, she broke up with me because I suddenly didn’t have any money.”  
“Do you regret choosing to be a doctor, and getting shut out of your family?” Peter asks, looking a little concerned.  
“There are times I miss my family. I don’t think they even knew that I was stabbed" Carter replies, pausing for a moment. "But about choosing to be a doctor? No, I don’t regret it.” Carter replies confidently.  
“Alright Peter, it’s your turn next.” Doug announces.  
Peter looks at him, disgust on his face. “Why?”  
“You asked the last question!” Susan explains. Peter rolls his eyes in only somewhat real annoyance.


	3. Peter Benton's 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter obviously takes place before Peter has Reese (: This one doesn't have any warnings I don't think.

“So Peter, do you think you’ll ever get married?” Susan starts Peter's questions off.  
Peter makes a face, not really wanting to play the stupid game, but not wanting to be the only one to throw a fit about playing. “I don’t know, I’m already married to this job,” Peter replies curtly.  
“Do you want kids one day?” Carter asks, glad to not be the one in the spotlight anymore.  
“Uh. . . I don’t know man. Maybe, but like in the far, far future.” Peter replies, shifting in his chair.  
“Who’s your least favorite surgeon to work with?” Elizabeth asks with a smile.  
“Romano.” He answers immediately, making everyone chuckle.  
“And your favorite?” Elizabeth continues, biting her lip and raising an eyebrow.  
“You,” Peter replies, clearing his throat and looking away from her.   
Elizabeth laughs. “I knew the answer to that one, I just thought everyone else should hear you say it.” She teases, making everyone else chuckle, and making heat rush to Peter's cheeks.  
“When was the last time you had sex?” Doug asks, making Carol punch him in the arm.   
“You’re a pig,” Carol tells Doug with a scowl.  
“Probably a week or so before all this happened.” Peter sighs, rubbing his face in exasperation. Doug snickers and everyone shoots him a dirty look.  
“How did you feel about having a student?” Mark asks, with a little bit of a teasing smirk towards Carter.  
Peter rolls his eyes. “They’re annoying. They don’t know what they’re doing, they ask a million questions, they slow you down, and they’re just nosy and, did I mention annoying?” Peter replies, shooting Carter a teasing grin.  
“Thanks, man,” Carter says sarcastically.  
Everyone laughs and Peter holds up his hands. “I wasn’t necessarily saying you, Carter.”  
“Right okay, all your other students are annoying,” Carter agrees, unable to hide his smile.   
“Okay okay, but who’s been your favorite student?” Leah asks.  
“Carter,” Peter replies with no hesitation. “Now, does that make you feel better?” He mocks Carter a little.  
“Yes, it does actually,” Carter sneers triumphantly.   
“Do you have a best friend?” Carol asks.   
“That’s a childish label,” Peter replies.  
“No, it’s not, Mark’s my best friend,” Doug points out.   
“Come on, just answer the question.” Elizabeth nudges Peter’s leg with her foot.  
“Fine, I guess uh. . .” Peter clears his throat. “I guess I would consider my best friend to be um, well, Carter.” He admits reluctantly.  
Carter can’t hide his surprise and everyone else chuckles, knowing that that was the case of course. Carter opens his mouth to say something, but Peter cuts him off. “Come on man, don't make it weird, next question please,” Peter says, holding his hand up to brush Carter away. He’s not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, and any admission that he cares for someone makes him embarrassed.  
“What made you want to be a surgeon?” Elizabeth asks, a smile still on her face.  
“I like the assertiveness in surgery. I like the control. I like the plan.” Peter replies, much more in character.  
“Do you have any siblings?” Abby asks.  
“I’ve got two brothers. One older one younger.”   
“Okay, that’s ten questions,” Carol announces. “So, Peter, do you have any pets?”  
Peter makes a face again. “No.”  
Carol laughs. “Didn’t think so.”  
“How do you feel about Weaver?” Mark asks, knowing that the chief pisses Peter off all the time.  
Peter shakes his head, knowing this is a set-up. “Man, you know she drives me up the wall.” Which makes everyone laugh, because it’s true for almost all of them.  
“What’s your biggest pet peeve?” Luka asks.  
“People asking me questions,” Peter replies instantly, and when everyone laughs, the corners of his lips tug upward.  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Susan asks, bumping her knee into Mark’s. They both notice how he leans towards her ever so slightly.  
“I don’t know, I guess losing this job. Or something happening to my hands so I can’t perform surgery.” Peter shrugs, running his hands along the arms of the chair he’s in.  
“Do you ever struggle to fall asleep after losing a patient?” Carter asks, looking over at him.  
The room in the air thickens a little at the serious question. Peter shifts in his chair, once again uncomfortable about being vulnerable. “I mean, yeah, who hasn’t?” He answers.  
“Okay, so we’re at fifteen questions,” Mark announces.  
“How do you wind down after a hard shift?” Leah asks, stretching her legs out and tucking her toes under Carter’s thigh. He turns to her and she raises her eyebrows, silently asking permission. Carter gives his consent with a soft smile and putting his hand on her calf. His touch sends warm sensations from her legs all the way up to her chest.  
“Going home, having a drink or two, and going to bed so I can do it all again the next day,” Peter replies, running a hand over his mouth.  
“Why do you volunteer to work so many holidays?” Abby asks, leaning back on her elbows and stretching her legs. Her foot bumps into Luka’s calf and he holds very still so she won’t pull away.  
Peter shrugs. “I don’t have a big family that gets together on holidays, and I know other people do, so I just work them so other people don’t have to, I guess.” He looks at Elizabeth for a second and she smiles tenderly at him.  
“Aw, Peter, I knew you were a softie deep down,” Elizabeth says with a smile. Peter rolls his eyes in response, refusing to admit it.  
“When was the last time you were in a long term relationship?” Mark asks.  
Peter scoffs. “With this job, it’s been years.”  
“Do you like what you do?” Carter asks. “I mean, like actually like it? I mean, it consumes your whole life.”  
“I mean yeah, it is my life. I love what I do.” Peter replies.  
“If you couldn’t have been a surgeon, what would you have been instead?” Carol asks.  
“I don’t know, I guess maybe I would have been an oncologist. They’re aggressive with treatment, they have a plan, they’re important. I guess that’s what I would have done.” Peter answers.  
“Well, now it’s Carol’s turn,” Doug says with a smile, nudging her playfully.  
“Oh great, I didn’t realize that was the last question.” She says with a sigh. Peter sighs in relief at his question-and-answer session being over.


	4. Carol Hatahway's 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter, most of this should be canon-compliant with Carol's storyline (:

“Carol, how much do you despise Doug right now?” Mark asks her the first question with a laugh.  
“A lot,” Carol replies with a laugh.  
“Um, that doesn’t count as one of the questions,” Doug complains.  
“It so totally does!” Carol shoves his arm playfully.  
“Well, Carol, I think you know the question I’m about to ask you. . .” Doug threatens.  
She rolls her eyes and everyone laughs. “Doug, I haven’t had sex for two months. Happy?”  
“Well I am, but it sounds like you’re not.” He replies with a laugh, making her hit him again.  
“Carol, when was your first kiss?” Susan asks.  
“I was fifteen, and it happened right after one of the junior high dances,” Carol recalls fondly.  
“Aw, what was his name?” Leah asks.  
“Tony Matthews. He was very cute, very popular, and a very good kisser.” Carol laughs, making all the girls swoon.  
“How many serious boyfriends have you had?” Abby asks next, folding her legs up close to her again and sitting up. Luka is tempted to reach over and brush her hair off of her shoulders, but he knows that would be too obvious.  
“Serious ones? Probably three, I think.” Carol answers.  
“Are you dating anyone right now?” Doug asks, looking a little too interested.   
“No, Doug, I’m not.” She replies, giving him a look.  
“Would you ever give Doug a second chance?” Mark asks tentatively, crossing the line into asking about Carol and Doug's relationship.   
Carol draws her knees up to her chest, seriously considering the question. Everyone seems to be holding their breath. Her eyes eventually land on Doug’s face, which is hopeful and he’s trying to look as innocent as possible. “I don’t think so.” She replies, her voice soft and saying the opposite thing that her words say.  
“Even if he was one sorry son of a bitch who would do anything to get you back?” Doug asks, his hand sliding over onto her knee.  
Her face reddens slightly. “Doug, we are not using this stupid game to talk about you and me. I’m serious. No more questions about me and Doug.” She pushes his hand away roughly.  
“Do you want kids one day?” Carter asks, moving the game along.  
“I do,” Carol says, a natural smile on her pretty face, even though she’s still frustrated with Doug.  
“How many do you want?” Luka asks.  
“Oh, I don’t know. Lots I suppose.” She laughs.  
“Okay, we’re at ten questions,” Elizabeth says, holding her fingers up to show she’s been counting. “Carol, I know you took the MCATs and you did really quite well. Would you ever consider going to med school?”  
Carol hesitates, thinking. “No, I uh, I don’t think I would.” She answers after a moment.  
“Any particular reason?” Leah asks.  
“No, I mean, I don’t know, I just think I like being a nurse.” Carol answers. “Also I don’t think I could go through school again.”   
“Fair enough,” Leah nods. “I don’t blame you one bit.”  
“Do you like your naturally curly hair?” Susan asks. “Because you, Elizabeth, and Leah, all have such beautiful curly hair, and I’m so jealous.”  
“I don’t mind it anymore, but when I was little it would drive me nuts. Now I just kinda try to get it out of my face.” Carol laughs.  
“You can have my curly hair, Susan,” Elizabeth laughs. "It still drives me nuts."  
“Have you ever straightened your hair?” Leah asks, twirling a strand of her own brown, curly hair around her finger.  
Carol makes a face and laughs. “No, I guess I haven’t. I think that would take a while.”  
“Do you have any siblings?” Abby asks.  
“I have three sisters, one older, two younger.” She answers. "We all fight quite a bit when we get together, but I mean, we get together on holidays still."  
“Okay, we only have five more, so make them count.” Mark jumps in. “Carol, who’s your favorite doctor to work with?”  
“Definitely you, Mark,” Carol replies. They grin and point at each other.  
“I knew you’d say that,” Mark says.  
“I mean, I’m offended,” Doug pipes up, looking between the two of them. “But whatever.” He scoffs. Carol shoots him a dirty look and he shuts up.  
“Who’s your least favorite doctor to work with?” Carter asks, raising an eyebrow. Carol jabs her thumb at Doug with a smirk and everyone laughs as he swats her hand away, pretending to pout and be offended.  
“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Abby asks.  
Carol’s smirk slides off her face. “I don’t know, based on how the last wedding went. . .” She trails off. “He’d have to be someone I could really trust.”  
“Did you love Tag?” Susan asks. “I mean, as much as you thought you did?”  
“I don’t think so. I guess I’m glad it happened the way it did, him chickening out and bailing on me last minute.” Carol replies, a melancholy look on her face. She clears her throat and seems to shake it off, glancing around the room and straightening her shoulders.  
"Have you ever been in love, for real?" Abby asks.  
Everyone notices the glance that she sends Doug’s way. “Yes.” She replies, not elaborating any more because everyone knows who she’s talking about. Doug bites his lip, obviously wanting to say something, but stopping himself. “That’s twenty questions guys, which means it’s Abby’s turn!” Carol changes the subject says with a forced smile.


	5. Abby Lockhart's 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barely some mentions of mental illness and alcoholism in this chapter, if it makes you uncomfortable at all, please skip this chapter!

“Sooo, have you ever been in love, Abby?” Carol asks, happy that the attention has been shifted off of her and to Abby.  
Abby cracks a smile and rolls her eyes. “No, I don’t think I have been.” She answers.  
“Are you seeing anyone right now?” Mark asks, stretching his arms above his head and stifling a yawn.  
“No, I’m not,” Abby replies, clearing her throat. Her eyes flick momentarily towards Luka for just a moment.  
“Do you like being a nurse?” Leah pipes up.  
“I do, yeah.” Abby nods, jerking her gaze away from Luka quickly.  
“But you also took the MCATS, didn't you?" Carter asks. "Are you going to med school?”  
Abby blushes. “I was thinking about enrolling, yes.” She says, looking over at Luka again.  
“So you don’t want to be a nurse anymore?” Carol clarifies.  
Abby swallows, not wanting to leave her fellow nurses twisting in the wind. “I love being a nurse, I really do. But I just think I’m ready to try something different, and I think medical school might be it. I don't know, I'm still considering it." She explains.  
“I think you’d make an excellent doctor,” Luka adds in, his voice warm. She looks at him, a little surprised by his rich tone.  
“Thank you.” She replies genuinely.  
“So what kind of medicine do you want to practice?” Elizabeth asks.  
“Um, probably emergency medicine.” Abby answers. "I can't leave you guys." Everyone smiles and chuckles.  
“Are you a child of divorce?” Peter asks, and everyone is a little surprised to hear him participate.  
“I uh, am, actually,” Abby replies, giving him a quizzical look.  
Peter shrugs. “Sometimes you can just tell.” He says, popping his knuckles.  
“So who did you grow up with? Both parents, split custody, or only one and not the other?” Susan asks.  
“Just my mom.” Abby nods.  
“Do you have any siblings?” Carter asks.  
“I have a younger brother.”  
“Are you close with your mom?” Luka asks, looking down at her.  
“No,” She laughs. “No no no no.”  
“Why not?” Is his gentle follow up question.  
“My mom has bipolar depression and it’s something she’s struggled with my whole childhood, and now that I’m an adult, I’m not going to make excuses for her anymore,” Abby replies, a slight chill in her voice. Everyone nods or exchanges wordless glances.  
“What happened to your dad?” Mark asks.  
“He just left, after the divorce. Wanted nothing to do with us.” Abby replies emotionless about it.  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Leah asks, already guessing what it is.  
“That I’m going to be bipolar,” Abby replies, confirming Leah’s thoughts. “I don’t want to be that kind of burden on someone.”  
“When does that disorder start to show itself?” Carol asks gently.  
“Oh, around your twenties to thirties. So anytime now.” Abby smiles, but it’s forced. She brushes her hair off her shoulder, trying not to think about it. She knew this would come up, but it doesn't make it much easier to talk about it.  
“So, are you close with your brother?” Doug asks.  
“Yeah, well, I mean, we used to be. He lives pretty far away, but we still call.” She shrugs. "We normally call to check up every now and then on where do we think our mother might be and what she might be doing."  
“Okay, that’s fifteen right there guys,” Carter says, who’s been counting. “Abby, how do you unwind after a long day at work?”  
Abby thinks about her answer carefully before speaking. She used to come home and have a few too many to drink, but she’s been sober for several months now and does not plan on changing that. “I like to take a nice hot shower and curl up in bed with a book,” She says. She doesn't need to divulge her past problems with alcohol to her friends quite yet.  
“What prompted you to take the MCATs?” Luka asks.  
“Curiosity. To see if I could do it, I guess.” Abby says, biting her lip and trying not to smile because now she knows that she can do it.  
“Do you want kids one day?” Mark asks.  
Abby pauses. “I don’t know. I guess that depends on if I have bipolar or not.”  
“You wouldn’t want kids if you had bipolar?” Peter speaks up.  
“No.” Abby shakes her head vehemently. “After my childhood with my mother’s highs and lows, I don’t want to put another kid through that. My own kid through that.”  
“Do you want to get married?” Susan asks.  
Abby smiles. “I think that also depends on the bipolar thing. But that makes twenty, so anyway, Susan, you’re up!” She says happily, glad to shoulder off the weight of the game.  
Susan smacks her leg. “Damn, I didn’t realize that was twenty!”


	6. Susan Lewis's 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter, just some family drama mentions! (:

“So, do you want to get married one day, Susan?” Abby asks her, turning the last question she got over to start Susan's questioning.   
“Well I mean, yeah, I do,” She says with a somewhat dreamy look on her face.  
“What about kids?” Carol asks, drumming her fingers on the coffee table.  
“Oh, yes, I definitely want kids,” Susan says eagerly with a smile.  
“Are you dating anyone right now?” Elizabeth asks, raising an eyebrow. She doesn’t miss how Susan’s eyes glance towards Mark for a split second.  
“No, no I’m not,” Susan answers, smoothing back her hair.  
“Do you have any other siblings besides your sister?” Carter asks.  
“No yeah, just the deadbeat one.” Susan rolls her eyes, her face growing dark at the mention of her sister, Chloe. The one who got pregnant and left Susan with her child for several months, only to come back and whisk her away.  
“Have you heard about Suzie?” Mark asks, his voice softer than normal when asking about Susan's niece that she had grown so attached to.  
“Not for a while.” Susan picks at her nails, frowning. "Chloe said she'd call with updates and everything once they were more settled in Phoenix, but I mean, I haven't heard anything for over a month. I try to call but it almost always goes straight to voicemail."  
“Are you close with your parents?” Luka asks.  
“I mean, you know, moderately so. We call each other on the holidays and maybe one weekend a month.” Susan answers. "But my parents can hardly stand each other, and they make excuses for Chloe all the time, so I mean, all of us always fight when we're together."  
“When was your first kiss?” Leah asks, shifting the conversation away from the family drama that is clearly painful for her to talk about and remember.  
“I was sixteen, and it was at an ice cream parlor with a bunch of my friends when a group of cute guys from our school came in. All of us got our first kisses that day.” Susan replies with a fond smile.  
“When was your last serious relationship?” Elizabeth asks.  
“I don’t know, I guess it’s been a while.” Susan clears her throat, drawing her knees up closer to her chest. She feels Mark's foot nudge into hers.  
“Who’s your favorite doctor to work with?” Doug asks.  
“Mark,” Susan laughs without hesitation. “No offense, Doug.” Mark leans closer to her to give her a high five. She laughs and obliges, happy for the fact that he doesn't lean away afterward.  
“Oh, I’m taking offense,” Doug replies is mock-seriousness, but smiling at the two of them.  
“If you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you be?” Abby asks.  
“I think I would be a teacher,” Susan replies. “I love teaching. I'd probably teach something like science.”  
“Would you ever consider going for chief?” Peter asks.  
Susan pauses. “I-I don’t know. I know some of us have talked about me going for it before, but I just, I don't know. I want to have more of a life than just work, and if I take a chief position, I think it'll just suck me in that much further. I want to start a family eventually.”  
“If you didn’t work in emergency medicine, where would you work?” Carter asks.  
“I think I would work in peds. I love kids, I’d love to see like, the well-child checks and stuff.” Susan replies dreamily.  
“Is it true you tried a vegan thing for a year?” Abby asks, which makes everyone else laugh.  
“No,” Susan laughs. “Well, I mean, yes. I didn’t last a year though. Turns out I love meat and, well, everything else I wasn’t supposed to eat.”  
“Okay, that was fifteen questions,” Carol announces.  
“What’s your guilty pleasure?” Luka asks with a mischievous smile.  
“My guilty pleasure?” Susan repeats with a laugh. “Ooh, I don’t know. Probably eating an outrageous amount of Chinese food by myself. Or 80’s chick-flicks.”   
“If you could have any hair color, what would you have?” Carol asks.  
“I would have red hair,” Susan answers immediately. “I wish I had hair like yours,” She says to Elizabeth, which makes Elizabeth laugh and blush.  
“Who have you worked with the longest here?” Abby asks.  
“I think I’ve worked with Carol, Peter, Mark, and Doug the longest,” Susan answers, looking around the room and nodding.  
“Were you a nurse before you were a doctor?” Leah asks.  
“No, but I was a candy-striper once upon a time.” Susan laughs.  
“How long ago was that?” Luka asks, chuckling.  
“Oh, way before med school. I think I was a teenager.” Susan answers then points at Luka. “But that was twenty questions, so that makes you next!” Luka groans in response, and Abby shoves his arm playfully.


	7. Luka Kovac's 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes into Luka's past, with death and war mentioned, so if that bothers you at all please don't read!

“Luka, where are you from?” Doug asks.  
“Croatia.” He answers.  
“What brought you to Chicago?” Peter asks, slowly getting more involved in the game and actually asking questions.  
“My uh, um. . .” Luka clears his throat. “I needed to get away from Croatia.” He settles on.  
“What happened there?” Abby asks, her eyes soft when he looks down at her. Because she’s the one who’s asked, he has an easier time to answer.  
“The Croatian War of Independence broke out. I should have left earlier, but I wanted to finish my internship as a doctor first. I should have left when the bombings first started." He says regretfully.  
“Did you have to leave anyone behind?” Elizabeth asks, leaning forward in somewhat morbid curiosity.  
“My father chose to stay," Luka says.  
“Were you married?” Leah asks quietly, a sympathetic look on her face.  
“Yes.” Luka looks at his hands in his lap.  
“Did you have kids, too?” Susan asks, matching Leah’s volume.  
Luka clears his throat and looks away. “I did, yes. Two of them. A baby boy and a little girl."  
Abby touches his arm lightly. “Luka, I’m so sorry.”  
“Thank you.” He replies, reaching out and covering her hand with his own for a moment.  
"How long ago was that?" Mark asks what everyone is wondering.  
"It's been ten years now," Luka says, a faraway look in his eyes.  
“Do you think you’ll ever go back?” Carter asks.  
Luka shakes his head. “I don’t think so. Unless maybe to visit my father.”  
“Were you a doctor in Croatia?” Carol asks.  
“Yes, I was, just finished med school when all hell broke loose,” Luka says.  
“So are you seeing anyone now?” Abby asks. Their eyes linger on each other for a moment too long to be comfortable, but neither of them looks away.  
“No, I’m not.” Luka answers.  
“Do you think you’ll ever get married again?” Susan asks,  
“Maybe one day,” Luka answers, fighting the urge to look at Abby again.  
“Did you have any siblings?” Doug asks.  
“I had one brother,” Luka says, offering no other information.  
“Okay guys, we’re at twelve questions,” Leah announces. “Luka, if you couldn’t be a doctor, what would you do instead?”  
“Maybe I would be an artist,” Luka answers, a dreamy sort of look on his face.  
“What kind of art do you do?” Elizabeth asks.  
“Just some painting, some sketching.” Luka shrugs.  
“What do you paint?” Peter asks.  
“Portraits,” Luka answers, thinking about how he used to draw his wife and kids all the time when he came to America, scared he would start to forget what they looked like.  
“Where did you learn to paint?” Abby asks, propping her chin upon her fist as she gazes at him.  
“My father is a gifted painter.” Luka answers. “I’m not nearly as talented as he is, even though he says he's only an amateur.”  
“What about your mother, is she alive?” Mark asks.  
“My mother was sick while I was growing up, and she passed away when I got into med school," Luka says. "I'm sort of glad she didn't live to see the war."  
“Who’s your favorite nurse to work with?” Leah asks with a smile. she knows the answer as well as anyone else in the room does what the answer is.  
Luka’s face flushes slightly as he looks towards Abby. “Well, I think I’d have to say, Abby.” She smiles and looks away, her own face turning a little pink. No one needs to ask why, the obvious answer written on their flushed faces.  
“Two more, you guys,” Carol says. “Luka, are you more of a cat or dog person?”  
Luka chuckles. “I’ve never had either, but I guess probably more of a dog person.”  
“You guys didn’t eat dogs in Croatia, did you?” Doug asks, making a face.  
“No, we didn’t,” Luka says in a slightly mocking tone, giving him a look. “But that makes twenty.” He says with a sigh of relief.


	8. Doug Ross's 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just goes into a little of Doug's personal problems, but no warnings! (:

“Alright, Doug! When was the last time you had sex?” Mark shouts for the first question, making everyone laugh. It's only fair since he seemed to ask everyone else that question.  
Doug’s face turns a little red. “Well, Mark, I think it’s been about two weeks.” He says, looking surprisingly embarrassed even though he knew the question was coming.  
“You going through a rough patch, man?” Peter asks, making them all laugh again.  
“When was the last serious relationship you had?” Carter asks.  
“It’s been about two months.” He says, looking at Carol, everyone knowing why.  
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t think you can call our relationship ‘serious’ since you obviously didn’t take it that way.” She tells him sourly.  
“Do you have any siblings?” Leah asks, quickly changing the subject.  
“I’ve got a half brother.” Doug answers.  
“Are you close with him?” Luka asks.  
“Only really around the holidays,” Doug says.  
“What about your parents?” Abby asks.  
“I'm still close with my mom, but my father left us when I was younger, so we're definitely not close,” Doug says, almost scoffing.  
“Do you want kids one day?” Susan asks.  
“I don't know. Maybe,” Doug says stiffly. Sure, he loves kids, but he knows he's got a son out there somewhere that he's never met and he's just as bad as his own father in that way.  
“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Elizabeth asks, pointedly looking between him and Carol.  
“Only if she’ll have me,” Doug answers, and if you weren’t paying attention to the way he’s looking at Carol, his answer might have sounded vague.  
“Have you ever been in love?” Leah asks.  
“Yes,” Doug answers, finally moving his eyes off of Carol’s face reluctantly.  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Abby asks.  
“I guess uh,” Doug runs a hand over his jawline. “Being alone.”  
“How do you feel about Kerry?” Mark asks because he’s listened to many rants from his friends about the woman.  
Sure enough, Doug shakes his head and chuckles. “That woman is such a pain in my ass. I can’t stand her.” His answer is uncharacteristically short for how he normally rants about her.  
“Alright, that’s ten questions,” Elizabeth remarks. “What’s your biggest regret, Doug?”   
“Cheating.” Doug looks pointedly at Carol. Her lips flatten and her eyes are dark, but she has no snide remarks this time.  
“Have you seen your father since he left?” Luka asks.  
“He's tried once or twice to come back into my life," Doug says, the bitterness in his voice strong. "But he just will never have my trust again. We'll never be close. I won't give him that chance."   
“If you didn’t do peds emergency medicine, what would you do?” Carter asks.  
“I would do regular peds medicine,” Doug answers without hesitation.  
“Would you ever consider surgery?” Peter asks.  
Doug laughs and shakes his head. “No, we all know I can’t follow the rules enough to succeed in surgery.” Everyone laughs somewhat nervously because they all know how much Doug gets in trouble for breaking the rules at work all the time.  
“Who’s your current favorite band?” Susan asks.  
“Probably Hootie and the Blowfish,” Doug answers with a little bit of a laugh.   
“Do you like horror movies?” Luka asks.  
Dough cracks a smile. “I prefer something psychologically thrilling, like The Sixth Sense.”   
“Are you seeing anyone right now?” Abby asks.  
Doug shakes his head. “Nope.” He glances towards Carol, who is still silent. She narrows her eyes ever so slightly at him.  
“How do you unwind after a long day?” Carter asks.  
“Going home, having a drink, watching a show, going to bed at a later hour than I should.” He answers. He skips the part about how he normally finds a woman to bring home for the night at least.  
“How come you’re in emergency peds and not regular peds?” Luka asks.  
“I like the adrenaline rush. I like saving a kid’s life right then and there. I like being the intervention or the help that they need right there in the moment.” Doug answers.  
“So why wouldn’t you like peds surgery then?” Elizabeth asks.   
“Because I would have to share that control with other people. And I’m not really one to share responsibilities. I tend to go my own way.” Doug answers, looking a little sad for a moment there. He's aware of his self-destructing tendencies, but he doesn't know how to stop them. He clears his throat to recover from being questioned and points at Elizabeth. “But anyway, that means you are up, young lady!”  
Elizabeth blinks. “Was that twenty questions already?”  
“It sure was,” Doug smiles at her.


	9. Elizabeth Corday's 20 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has no warnings! (:

“If you couldn’t be a surgeon, what would you do?” Doug asks Elizabeth for her first question.  
“I don’t know, I suppose I’d be a professor at a university or something.” She shrugs.   
“What made you come to America, Lizzie?” Peter asks, casually throwing out the nickname for her. She rather likes it, even if she's surprised by his use for it.  
“I came here for more experience in trauma surgery. I had an opportunity to come over here, and I figured I couldn't pass that up."  
“Are you seeing anyone?” Susan asks, looking pointedly between her and Peter.  
“I’m not,” She replies, heat rising to her cheeks.  
“When was the last time you had sex?” Doug more or less shouts.  
She rolls her eyes. “Not that it's any of your business, but not too long time ago.” Is her reply.  
“Do you like having red hair, Lizzie?” Leah asks, reaching down and grabbing a strand of her friend's hair, twirling it around her finger.   
Elizabeth smiles up at her. “I do, actually. I always thought it gave substance to my fiery personality.”  
“Who’s your favorite surgeon to work with?” Peter asks, baiting her.  
“Romano.” She deadpans, making everyone laugh, and making Peter crack a smile. “No, of course it’s you, Peter.” He smiles at that, satisfied with her answer.  
“How old were you when you had your first kiss?” Abby asks.   
“I was fourteen,” Elizabeth replies, a coy smile on her face.   
“What was the circumstance?” Abby continues, leaning forward with an interested smile.  
“We were on a roller coaster, we had gone with a group of friends, and he asked if he could kiss me at the top, and I said yes.” She says with a smile. All of them make 'aww' sounds and she laughs, waving them all away and rolling her eyes.  
“Were you the smartest kid at your school?” Carter asks.  
“I mean, that’s objective.” She replies, then laughs. “But I mean. . .well, yes.”  
“Are you close with your parents?” Mark asks.  
“Oh, there's some tension with my parents, but I know that they care for me,” Elizabeth answer moderately vaguely.  
“What's the tension about?” Susan asks.  
“My father and my grandfather are surgeons over in England, and they all think I should have stayed over there. And I just have some drama with my mother and how she never was around when I was a child.” Elizabeth waves the last part away.  
“So what does your mother do?” Carter asks.  
“She’s an astrophysicist. So she's kind of a genius I suppose.” Elizabeth replies, rolling her eyes.  
“Did you become a surgeon because of your father?” Peter asks.  
“I think that was a big part of it, yes.” Elizabeth nods. "I don't have any brothers, so I felt like it was up to me to continue the tradition of becoming a surgeon."  
“Have you ever had to have surgery on yourself?” Luka asks.  
“I had my appendix out at seventeen years old,” Elizabeth replies.  
“Do you think you’ll get married one day?” Susan asks.  
“I would like to, yes,” Elizabeth says, arching her brow towards Peter for a split second.  
“That’s fifteen right there,” Leah chimes in. “So, what about kids?”  
“Oh, I definitely want kids.” She says with a content smile on her face. “Hopefully sooner rather than later.”  
“How many do you want?” Luka asks.  
“Oh, probably at least two or three,” Elizabeth says dreamily.  
“Would you give up your career for kids?” Carol asks.  
Elizabeth pauses. “I don’t know. If that’s what it took to have kids, I suppose, maybe. But I’d keep my license current so I could go back to work one day.”  
“So you said you have no brothers, but how many sisters do you have?” Carter asks.  
“I have an older sister, but she still lives in England,” Elizabeth replies.  
“What does she do?” Leah asks.  
“She's a professor at a university."  
"Wow, a family full of geniuses," Leah says.   
Elizabeth slaps her hands on her knees. “Well, I believe that’s twenty, so Leah’s up next?” She says with a grin, looking up at Leah.


	10. Leah Woods's 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mentions past abuse and drug abuse, so if that bothers you at all, please feel free to skip! Also, this character is totally made up and not really an ER character just so you know (:

“Last, but certainly not least,” Doug says with a grin. “Leah, when-”  
“If you ask me the damn sex question, Doug, I will hurt you,” Leah interrupts, pointing at him.  
Doug raises his hands in mock innocence. “Fine, anyone else want to go first then?”  
“Leah, are you seeing anyone right now?” Elizabeth asks.  
“I am not,” Leah replies, tucking a rich, chestnut-colored curl behind her ear. She can feel Carter's eyes on her.  
“Have you ever been in love?” Abby asks, leaning back a little, her shoulder bumping into Luka’s. Neither of them moves, both keenly aware of the other one breathing.  
“I uh, I have.” Leah licks her lips, glancing at Carter for a split second. His eyes are soft and already on her.  
“Why did you come to County? From what I understand you made a pretty hasty transition from your old hospital to here.” Doug says.  
Leah knew this question would come up. She clears her throat and fidgets in her seat. “Yeah, I uh, I needed a change.”  
“Change from what?” Carter prompts gently, sensing that this was going to be a difficult conversation.  
“Well you see, I was seeing this guy for a little while, and um, he was a nurse that I worked with.” Leah starts to explain. “Anyway there was this freak accident where his brother was killed at their house by a drive-by shooting, and it really hurt him. He got really depressed, and he wouldn’t see anyone about it, even though I tried to convince him to see a therapist or something. And then he suddenly got really violent.” Leah clears her throat again. “Anyway, one night I ended up in the ER because of him, and after that, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to see him anymore, and I couldn’t bear to see anyone that I worked with again after that, I was so embarrassed and ashamed. They all knew it had been happening, but once you end up in your own ER, it just hits different. Anyway, I quit pretty quickly, and thankfully, you guys were hiring.” Everyone exchanges looks, silence blanketing the room.  
Carter reaches out wraps his fingers around hers. “Leah, I’m so sorry.”  
“It’s fine, I mean, that was like a couple of years ago now, anyway.” Leah tries to brush it off, even though her cheeks are aflame for speaking about it.  
“Have you heard from that guy since?” Peter asks. Leah looks up at him, surprised.  
“Only once or twice he came for me. I ended up moving, so he either stopped looking for me or stopped caring.” Leah replies with a shrug.   
“Did you seek counseling for that?” Abby asks softly.  
Leah pushes her glasses up and squeezes Carter’s fingers a little tighter, subconsciously. “Um, I mean, no, not really.”  
“If you ever want to talk, I mean, we’re all here for you.” Susan pipes up, giving her a half-smile.  
“Thank you,” Leah looks at her lap. “Someone ask a different question, please.” She laughs nervously.  
“Okay, um, do you have any siblings?” Mark asks.  
“I had a brother, but he passed away a couple of years ago from an overdose of opioids,” Leah replies with a grimace, everyone else making the same expression as well.  
“Damn, sorry Leah,” Mark says regretfully.  
Leah laughs the same nervous laughter. “No no, it’s fine. I expected this.”  
“If you couldn’t be a nurse, what would you be?” Carol asks hopefully a safe question.  
“I would be a lawyer,” Leah answers dreamily. “I know I don’t look intimidating enough, nor am I tall enough to be taken seriously, but I would love it.”  
“Are you close with your parents?” Carter asks, the two of them still holding hands.  
“No.” Leah sighs. “My father was also abusive and then he left eventually right before my sixteenth birthday. The first time that I was hit by that boyfriend, I went home and cried to my mom. She told me to leave, that she dealt with that herself enough, and she wouldn’t be around for me to do the same thing to myself. We haven’t spoken since.”   
“Leah. . .That’s messed up,” Elizabeth says, her voice sad.  
“Yeah, I guess,” Leah lets go of Carter’s hand to push her glasses up and brush her long hair out of her face. “Anyway, sorry.” She forces a laugh.  
“Do you want kids one day?” Luka asks, changing the subject again.  
“Absolutely,” Leah replies.  
“Do you want to get married?” Abby asks.  
“I do,” She answers cleverly, making everyone laugh.  
“What’s your biggest fear?” Susan asks.  
“I guess that um, that I’ll get into another abusive relationship. Or that my last boyfriend will find me.” Leah replies.  
“Alright we’re at twelve questions, guys, try to ask something a little less depressing.” Carol jokes.  
“How do you unwind after a long day at work?” Carter asks.  
“Taking a hot shower, maybe a bath if I’m feeling especially down. I like to read a good book, go for a walk, maybe go out to eat or something. Going to bed whenever I get too tired.” Leah answers.  
“Are you more of a cat or dog person?” Mark asks.  
“I would say more of a cat person, but I still love dogs.” Leah answers.  
“Would you ever try contacts?” Elizabeth asks.  
Leah shudders. “No. I mean I know I have my fingers inside people all the time, but touching my own eyeball is where I draw the line.”  
“Who’s your favorite doctor to work with?” Doug asks.  
“My loyalty lies with John, he’s the only one who said I’m his favorite nurse,” Leah replies, smiling at Carter. Carter feels his insides grow warm when she calls him by his first name. She’s the only one who does.  
“Do you like working at this hospital better?” Luka asks.  
“I do,” Leah smiles. “I like working with all of you guys a lot.”   
“Do you ever think about going back to school?” Susan asks.  
“Not really.” Leah shakes her head. “I mean, I love what I do. I don’t think I’d want to change a thing.”  
“So what made you choose nursing over being a lawyer?” Carter asks.  
“Schools in my area, and scholarships,” Leah replies with a laugh. “Nursing was much more of an attainable goal.”  
“What was tempting about being a lawyer?” Abby asks.  
“I like all that legal jargon. I like arguing for people that I believe in, for what I believe is right. I’d like to think if I were a lawyer, I’d be putting the bad guys away, you know?” She shrugs. “Because I mean, criminal law is what I wanted to do.” She smiles. “But anyway, that’s twenty questions!” She claps.  
“Thank God,” Peter mumbles, and everyone laughs and sighs in relief.  
“Who wants to play two truths and a lie?” Doug asks, clapping his hands together and jumping to his feet. Everyone groans and laughs, begging for no more games. They all look around the room for a moment as the laughter dies down, appreciating and empathizing all the things they've learned about each other in the past little while, how they've become even more like a big family during this quarantine period.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! I'm super excited that this is the first story that I've ever posted and it's all finished! If you want to see more ER fics, let me know, I'd love your support or even your ideas! (: Literally if you've read all of this little story I love you and thank you so much!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! (Any kudos or nice comments are appreciated :)


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